Service warrior leaving Kinston after seven decades

By Jessika Morgan / Staff Writer

Published: Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 06:55 PM.

“She has encouraged me and helped me a lot in many ways,” said Joe Goldwasser, Schechter’s Fairfield Duplicate Bridge Club partner and friend. “We have been the best of friends for probably over 60 years, and we’re all going to miss.”

Goldwasser and Schechter have travelled the world with their spouses, from cruises to safari rides.

He remembered when the families visited Israel, and the Schechter’s were recognized in front of thousands of people.

“They were honored as big donors to a very charitable Jewish organization,” Goldwasser said. “That was a very memorable trip. They were very humble about it and never told us that they were invited on the stage.”

With Lenoir-Greene United Way’s leadership society also named Schechter — a program that hosts a donation dinner each year — Kinstonians who know Pearl best won’t fret about her departure. They know she’ll be back.

But Ho still said she would miss her smile.

“We’re going to miss a propeller of the community, because the (Schechter) family has been here for a long, long time, not only to support the library (but) all other agencies,” she said. “Every time we talk about this family, we’re going to say that it’s the most generous family in the community.”

One Kinston name will stick out long after its bearer parts with this community.

For any service arena of which you can think, a special Kinston woman likely afforded everlasting support.

From Lenoir Memorial Hospital, the local United Way to Neuse Regional Library, she and her late husband were notable contributors that people have recognized for 70 years and counting.

Although only relocating to Chapel Hill, Pearl Schechter, 94, will say goodbye to Kinston — at least for most of her time.

“I plan to continue helping organizations here in Kinston, even though I’m not living here,” she said. “I just feel like I’m at home here, it’s my comfort base. I have friends, and I’m real active in the community.”

She said after her sister died earlier this year, her only child, Arnold, convinced her to move to Chapel Hill with his family.

“Everybody is shocked actually, and I am shocked,” Schechter said. “I didn’t ever plan to leave Kinston. I thought I was living and dying in Kinston.”

She moved to the city 71 years ago after marrying her husband of 64 “wonderful, happy years,” Sol Schechter, before he passed in 2005. They migrated from New York and immediately began a legacy in Kinston.

When Sol Schechter was drafted for World War II, his wife managed the Schechter family T-shirt business. From then on, Pearl Schechter unleashed her leadership ability and passion for helping others throughout Kinston.

“She’s been a driving force,” Kinston’s Paul Chused said of his aunt. “I think she’s someone who’s cared about her community very strongly.”

His mom, Harriet, was Schechter’s sister and passed in December at 98-years-old.

“She is a very talented lady,” Chused said. “We’ll lose one of our strongest supporters. Although she’s only going to Chapel Hill, she still will support our community and return often.”

The Schechter name is literally etched in the Kinston and Lenoir County community, taking various forms. For instance, the local library’s auditorium is named after the family.

“I feel like this library was Mr. Schechter’s second home,” said Agnes Ho, director of libraries. “Any time I needed any help, I would always pick up the phone and call Mr. Schechter.”

She said the pair has given unforgettable support to the library since its beginning.

“I cannot think of a couple who loved our library more than they did, and who expressed that love so frequently and generously,” Ho said. “Our library carries tremendous honor of having its auditorium named after the Schecthters, and this will stand as an enduring tribute to their legacy for decades to come.”

Ho will deeply miss Schechter plans to visit her before she heads up to the Triangle in April. Ho recalls how much Schecthters’ husband loved her, as he always remembered to bring home two cookies for her after Friends of Library board meetings.

“He was a wonderful, considerate husband,” Schechter said about her late husband. “(He was) loving and great, just super great. … We were both easy-going and loving people. It was just the marvelous, wonderful marriage.”

She said she enjoyed anything, so long as her husband was by her side. He told her he loved her every single day, something she said she misses the most.

Those who know them said their giving traits are irreplaceable.

June Cumming, executive director of Lenoir-Greene United Way, said Pearl Schechter was encouraging when they met in 1977 at Lenoir County Mental Health, now East Point. Cummings said the then-board member was passionate about mental health, disability and substance abuse services.

“(She) believed in giving the best we could give in services to people here,” Cummings said.

She added of the couple, “Their whole philosophy has always been to give back.”

Cummings said Sol Schechter wrote a $10,000 check to furnish the health building lobby because she said the organization didn’t have the funds in the budget. A twinkle lit Cummings’ eye as she thought about the unmatched generosity of the couple.

“She has so many friends,” Cummings said of Pearl Schechter. “This community is full of friends of hers. I think no matter where she is, this will be her home.”

Chused said one of Schechter’s concerns with moving was if she’d be able to find a suitable bridge partner. She has been playing bridge more than 50 years, earning a Gold Life Master distinction.

“I hope that I will be able to find a good partner in Chapel Hill,” she said with a laugh.

Schechter plays the game three times a week and served as the director of the Fairfield Bridge Club more than 30 years.

“She has encouraged me and helped me a lot in many ways,” said Joe Goldwasser, Schechter’s Fairfield Duplicate Bridge Club partner and friend. “We have been the best of friends for probably over 60 years, and we’re all going to miss.”

Goldwasser and Schechter have travelled the world with their spouses, from cruises to safari rides.

He remembered when the families visited Israel, and the Schechter’s were recognized in front of thousands of people.

“They were honored as big donors to a very charitable Jewish organization,” Goldwasser said. “That was a very memorable trip. They were very humble about it and never told us that they were invited on the stage.”

With Lenoir-Greene United Way’s leadership society also named Schechter — a program that hosts a donation dinner each year — Kinstonians who know Pearl best won’t fret about her departure. They know she’ll be back.

But Ho still said she would miss her smile.

“We’re going to miss a propeller of the community, because the (Schechter) family has been here for a long, long time, not only to support the library (but) all other agencies,” she said. “Every time we talk about this family, we’re going to say that it’s the most generous family in the community.”

Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.